Sociology

Careers

"To stay in one’s room away from the place where the party is given, or away from where the practitioner attends his client, is to stay away from where reality is being performed. The world, in truth, is a wedding.”

– Erving Goffman

Career options in sociology are very versatile, preparing students for various career options. No matter what option you choose in Sociology, increase your marketability through volunteering/internships, responsible work experience, good grades, involvement in extracurricular activities, and networking.

As a sociology major you have the ability to:

  • Think abstractly
  • Think critically
  • Conceptualize problems
  • Apply theories and concepts to real world issues
  • Understand issues within a “macro” or social structural perspective
  • Design research studies
  • Analyze data
  • Make oral presentations
  • Write well
  • Organize material
  • Work in groups and collaborate with others
  • Bring evidence to bear in support of an argument
  • Help others develop insights and make decisions
  • Understand and interpret statistics
  • Analyze and evaluate policies and programs
  • Understand issues of diversity (class, race/ethnicity, gender, etc.)

Sociology graduates have an advantage in understanding human behavior on three levels:

      • how individuals behave in organizations, families, and communities
      • the ways in which these social units function as groups
      • the wider social, political, and economic contexts in which decisions are made and in which groups function.

Possible Career Options:

SOCIAL ACTION

  • Lobbying
  • Community Organizations
  • Political Advocacy

SOCIAL PRACTICE

  • Counseling
  • Halfway Houses
  • Human Services
  • Private Foundations
  • Vocational Services

SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCHER

  • Data Analysis
  • Demography
  • Public Opinion Polls
  • Research Projects

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

  • Corrections
  • Law Enforcement
  • Judiciary
  • Probation/Parole

GOVERNMENT

  • Public Administration
  • Policy Analysis
  • Program Development
  • Social Statistics
  • Urban Planning

BUSINESS

  • Human Resources
  • Management
  • Market Research
  • Public Relations

EDUCATION

  • Professor
  • Secondary School Teacher
  • School Program Director
  • School Counselor
  • Librarian 

Also Visit:

American Sociological Association: Careers Information

Alpha Kappa Delta: Careers in Sociology

Career Search:

Idealist.org

SocialService.com